Check out Lapointe's column in today's issue of Pravda (aka, The NY Times), Familiar Aches Put Damon on Bench, and you'll get a keen appreciation for the predicament that the MFY are in with Johnny D.

As chronic aches and pains in his legs have reduced his range in CF to Bernie Williams-esque proportions, Damon has steadfastly resisted a move to the DL, a place that he has yet to visit in his 13-year MLB career.

For a guy who has always played the game hard, I find that to be an amazing piece of data. Though I think it's too early to be writing his epitaph (or that of the 2007 MFY), you wonder when Torre is going to force the DL issue so he can get someone in the lineup who can do more than pinch-hit, increasing his roster from a 24.25- to a full 25-man unit.

In some way, Torre's job may be riding on what happens next, with Mattingly, Girardi, McKeon, et al no doubt ready, willing, and eager to be asked for their opinions.